The Palace Beautiful eBook

How long she might have wept she could never say,
but her tears were suddenly brought to an abrupt termination.
When she entered her mother’s room she had not
locked the door, and now a voice sounded at her elbow:

“Eh!—­my word—­dear, dear,
deary me! Now, Miss Primrose, to think of you
creeping up like this, and ‘worriting’
yourself over the secrets in the little bit of a cabinet.
Your poor mamma knew what she was about when she kept
that cabinet locked, and for all the good they’ll
ever do, she might well have burnt the bits of fallals
she kept there. There, darling, don’t spoil
your pretty eyes crying over what’s dead and
gone, and can never be put right again—­never.
Shut up the cabinet, Miss Primrose, and put your hair
a bit straight, for Mrs. Ellsworthy, from Shortlands,
is down in the drawing-room, and wanting to see you
most particular ‘bad.’”

CHAPTER VI.

Manyvisitors.

Miss Martineau’s plans had been full of directness.
Having made up her mind, she wasted no precious moments.
The girls must be helped; she could only give them
counsel, but others could do more. Miss Martineau
determined to go at once to the fountainhead.
In short, she would attack the one and only rich person
who lived in the neighborhood of Rosebury. Shortlands
was a big place, and the Ellsworthys were undoubtedly
big people. Money with them was plentiful.
They considered themselves county folk; they lived
in what the Rosebury people believed to be royal style.

Miss Martineau had for one short blissful week of
her life spent the time at Shortlands. She had
been sent for in an emergency, to take the place of
a nursery governess who was ill. Her French had
been of little account in this great house, and her
music had not been tolerated. The poor old lady
had indeed been rather snubbed. But what of that?
She was able to go back to her own intimate friends,
and entertain them with accounts of powdered footmen,
of richly-dressed London ladies, of a world of fashion
which these people believed to be Paradise.

Twice during her week’s sojourn she had been
addressed by Mrs. Ellsworthy. No matter; from
that day she considered herself one of the great lady’s
acquaintances. Miss Martineau could be heroic
when she pleased, and there was certainly something
of the heroic element about her when she ventured
to storm so mighty a citadel at eleven o’clock
in the morning.

Her very boldness, however, won her cause. The
footman who opened the door might look as supercilious
as he pleased, but he was obliged to deliver her messages,
and Mrs. Ellsworthy, with a good-humored smile, consented
to see her.

Their interview was short, but Miss Martineau, when
she launched on her theme, quite forgot that she was
poor and her auditor rich. Mrs. Ellsworthy, too,
after a few glances into the thin and earnest face
of the governess, ceased to think of that antiquated
poke bonnet, or the absurdly old-fashioned cut of
that ugly mantle.